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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Somerset Birding (2 Viewers)

well due to the weather Saturday was a wash out but we did manage to get to WWT Steart marsh on today 12th nov

And what a fantastic few hours we had there its really beginning to fill up nicely loads of resident birds and winter visitors.

here are the sightings :t:

500 + golden plovers

hundreds of dunlin

curlew

black tailed godwit

red shank

kestrel

shoveler

teal

lapwings

shelduck

stonechat

pied wagtail

starlings

little egret

heron

marsh harrier

magpie

rooks

great tit

snipe

and the star of the show a peregrine falcon who came screaming into the front of the hide and proceeded to try and take a bird in mid air but he had no luck but what an amazing flying display and only a few feet away stunning :t:
 
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stu52 said:
well due to the weather Saturday was a wash out but we did manage to get to WWT Steart marsh on today 12th nov

And what a fantastic few hours we had there its really beginning to fill up nicely loads of resident birds and winter visitors.

here are the sightings :t:

500 + golden plovers

hundreds of dunlin

curlew

black tailed godwit

red shank

kestrel

shoveler

teal

lapwings

shelduck

stonechat

pied wagtail

starlings

little egret

heron

marsh harrier

magpie

rooks

great tit

snipe

and the star of the show a peregrine falcon who came screaming into the front of the hide and proceeded to try and take a bird in mid air but he had no luck but what an amazing flying display and only a few feet away stunning :t:
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great day out ... I also visited Steart on the same afternoon but was not so lucky (was hoping for a Peregrine and Golden Plovers!).
 
_TheBirdNerd_ said:
Sounds like a great day out ... I also visited Steart on the same afternoon but was not so lucky (was hoping for a Peregrine and Golden Plovers!).
Click to expand...

Hi mate

It was incredible :t: but sorry to hear you were not so lucky on the same day

We were there at high tide around 14.00hrs in the afternoon and sitting in the Quantock hides when the peregrine made the appearance.

There was well over 500 + golden plovers right in front of us add them to all the dunlin and lapwings it was a really amazing lift off.

Guess we were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

Cheers Stu
 
Steart Marsh And Fyne Court

Hi all

a fantastic day Saturday 2nd dec at steart and fine court

steart marsh

spoonbill
kingfisher
stonechat
golden plover
lapwing
sparrow hawk
kestrel
shoveler
teal
heron
meadow pipit
long tailed tit
black backed gull
red shank
curlew
black tailed godwit
red wing
marsh harrier
magpie
starlings
chiffchaff


fyne court

haw finch
green finch
chaffinch
blue tit
great tit
siskin
red wing
gold finch

cheers stu
 
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Hi everyone, just wanted to drop a quick message to say that my partner and I are delighted to be moving to your fine county in April from the Cotswolds.
I enjoyed a brief visit to Ham Wall and Shapwick over the weekend, and got chatting to some friendly local birders, and very much looking forward to exploring the various sites around the county.
We're moving to the Glastonbury/Wells area, should anybody be kind enough to have some spare time to show me a few sites, I'd happily reciprocate by being their personal taxi for the day - just drop me a PM.

All the best and happy birding.
 
Good luck with the move Dan. It's a stunning part of the country. We stayed at West Pennard last year and near Wookey a couple of years back. I don't know the county well enough to give specific recommendations (other than Ham Wall, Greylake, Westhay and Shapwick) but can recommend the sausages from the butchers on the High Street in Wells:eat::t:

Rich
 
So yesterday we stopped of at Ham Wall on our way back from Dorset. I feel like a broken record when I keep saying this is a cracking place.

Highlights included my first Bearded Tit for the site and a superb view of a fly by Bittern. GWE's were also present along with a couple of Marsh Harriers and two showy Water Rails. Another birder mentioned the Glossy Ibis had been seen by the peat works by Westhay?

Will definitely be back a little later in the year:t:

Rich
 
Cheers Rich, visited Ham Wall (and Somerset) for the first time last weekend, and looks like a good move. Having moved from Norfolk to Warwickshire, it's definitely a move up in terms of birding. Hopefully meet a few friendly locals who will be happy to give me some gen.
 
Visting ham wall next week and wondering if there places between Glastonbury and Dorchester where I have a chance of seeing Wood Warbler/ flycatchers/ Redstart

Many thanks
 
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Lambert's Castle, a National Trust site, has breeding redstart. It used to have Wood Warbler but I don't think there have been recent records. It's on the B3165 south of Crewkerne. That's a little off your route. Map reference: ST 336890,98992. Park in the car park and walk around the edge of the grassed open area in the centre. You'll see Redstarts in the margins of the woodlands there. Lot's of dog walkers so it can be quite busy.

Better, but even further off your route, is Hodder's Combe on the Quantock Hills. This has Redstart, Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher and probably Spotted Flycatcher although I have never looked for it there. Map reference for car park: ST 315197,141258. Walk in up the combe (valley) for about a mile and listen for the songs. This is a beautiful place and likely to be quite quiet especially early morning during the week. Good chance of red deer, too.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck.
 
Had a cracking view of the female Red-footed Falcon last week at Isle Brewer. Prior to that my 7 year old and I had a great walk around Ham Wall. Most of the regulars present - Hobby, Cuckoos, Bittern, Marsh Harriers, Cettis, Garden Warblers etc. Etc. Hardly any hirrundines though which was a bit unusual.

Rich
 
Spent a few hours at Ham Wall and Westhay with my 8 year old yesterday. The places were alive with birdsong. Always brilliant hearing Bitterns booming. Garden Warblers, Whitethroats, Willow Warblers, Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps etc. Good numbers of Great White Egrets at both sites and Black-tailed Godwits from VP1. Also a Cuckoo from VP1. Max spotted 4 Hobbys at Westhay, along with Swifts, Swallows and House Martins, (or mini-falcons as he kept calling them) and picked out a Cettis at Ham Wall.

From the Avalon hide we watched Marsh Harriers and 3 GWE's. Another great day in Somerset.

Rich
 
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